Leaving Him In A Cloud Of Dust And Smoke

I am from Germany. I have only a few rules concerning my home, my stuff, and my car when other people come around. In my home, the rule is that I am not a servant. If you want to eat or drink, take it from the fridge or pantry. With my tools, the rule is to ask before using. And in my car, the rule is DO NOT SMOKE IN MY CAR! For all of the above, if you make a mess, you clean it up.

Seems reasonable? Well, not for the guy in this story.

This happened in summer 2015. I got my car in December 2014: a 2008 Volkswagen Golf 1.9 Diesel. I still drive it. I was on my way to a convention and decided to take a passenger with me. It’s really nice to have some company on a six-hour drive. I picked him up and told him about the no-smoking rule. Everything seemed fine until we hit the Autobahn. This guy pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up.

This conversation ensued.

Me: “Hey, what the h***?! I told you no smoking!”

Passenger: “So what? Whatcha gonna do about it?”

Me: “Kick you out!”

Passenger: “You know, it is illegal to stop on the Autobahn.”

This is true. German law states that you cannot stop on the Autobahn unless it is an emergency or your car broke down. You even get fined for running out of gas on the Autobahn, as it is preventable. Anyway, I knew something [Passenger] didn’t know. There was a truck stop just three kilometers ahead.

I got off the Autobahn and stopped at said truck stop.

Me: “All right, out of my car. Now.”

Passenger: “You can’t do that!”

Me: “Sure as heck, I can. This is my car and I have every right to kick you out.”

The next part is a bit blurry as it was mainly screaming at each other. I remember getting out of my car and tossing his suitcase and bag out of my car. Then, I remember dragging him out of my car and shoving him to the ground. I drove off and listened to music the rest of the drive, singing along to Rammstein.

Later that evening, I was in the hotel room relaxing after the drive. I had been there for about three hours when I heard a knock on the door. Hotel management, hotel security, convention security, the convention organizer, and the police were all standing there with a smug-looking [Passenger]. Police told me they had picked him up about two kilometers away from the truck stop on the Autobahn. He claimed I had kicked him out at the spot where they found him.

Police Officer: “You do know this is illegal. You broke Highway Code [number] and willingly endangered [Passenger]’s life.”

Me: “Sir, with all respect, he has been lying to you. I kicked him out at the truck stop. You can ring them up; I am sure they have it on tape. Did he even tell you why I kicked him out?”

Police Officer: “No, he didn’t.”

I then told them the story and explained that I didn’t want him in my car anymore because he broke my personal rules in my personal car. I kicked him out at the truck stop, as, from there, he could have easily called someone to come and pick him up. [Passenger] had turned very pale by that point. The police officer looked at him, furious.

Police Officer: “Is this true?”

Passenger: “Well…”

Police Officer: “You need to come with me.”

[Passenger] was charged with falsely accusing me. It was a money-related penalty in the four-figure range. It wasn’t the first time, as I later found out. The convention canceled his membership. Hotel management canceled his reservation. And I got free drinks at the hotel bar for my entire stay as well as a free sponsor upgrade for the convention.